I think this book holds a lot of potential in directing attention to mental health in younger kids but I found it hard to read. There is a lot of chaos constantly and I was unsure of what was happening. 
Although I think it helped understand the mental space of those suffering, I was unable to invest any emotion into the outcome given the self-destructive behaviour that all the lead characters constantly place themselves in. I may not be the target audience for this, and maybe the resistance to the narrative could be attributed to that as well.
The writing flowed well and the characters were vivid , which helped me finish the book

A good read, but I sometimes struggled to connect to the character. And with a book of this genre and topic, it’s important that you can connect with the main character. I liked the writing style and I will definitely look out for more books by this author. Overall I enjoyed this one, but it wasn’t amazing.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley. 

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. 
Natalie.

Great book regarding the struggles of menta heath and living in a life with different views on culture. Throughly enjoyed this read and was a very personal stories with lots of moments which make you think!

Wow this felt like such an important read. It touches on huge topics such as grief, loss, depression, anxiety, romance and fundamentally psychosis.

I really enjoyed reading a book that wasnt scared to cover these topics. Mental health is being talked about more and more which is refreshing. I also loved the style of this story and read it in a few days. Highly recommend.

The Million Pieces of Neena Gill absolutely blew me away. Telling the story of a girl called Neena who suffers a psychotic break after her brother Akash leaves her, this is a powerful novel tackling mental health in a very sensitive way.

Due to the fact that Neena is suffering from psychosis, she is an unreliable narrator. You’ll find yourself questioning what you’re reading as Neena begins to doubt her own sanity, living scenes which are later revealed to have taken place in her imagination, and almost everything you think you know will be flipped on its head at one point or another.


There are so many things I absolutely loved about this novel. When the story begins Neena is taking prescribed anti-depressants, but she stops taking them because she believes that her mother is ashamed of her. Eventually Neena is medicated, taught CBT and undergoes therapy, showing that often a combination of treatments is often needed to have the biggest impact. That’s utterly realistic, and I loved the fact that there was no ‘one size fits all’ miracle cure in this story.

Cultural pressures are a huge part of this novel, but Emma Smith-Barton makes a concerted effort to tackle the presumption that all of the pressures faced are cultural. There’s a very eye-opening scene in which Neena is talking to a therapist, who suggests she may be interpreting her parents’ actions through a cultural lens when they might just be reacting the same way that any worried parents would. I’ve seen a lot of novels which have tackled the overbearing Asian parent stereotype (specifically British-Pakistani in this book) but none of which have actually posited the question as to whether it’s just a parent stereotype regardless of background, and that made me look at a few other books I’ve read recently in a completely different way.

Neena’s parents are three-dimensional characters with their own plot, which is a novelty in itself! So often the parents in YA are only there to react to their child’s actions, and I loved the fact that Neena’s parents felt so realistic. They are also struggling to accept life without Akash, and although they take their frustrations out on Neena at the beginning – believing that she’s following the same path as her brother and is going to end up leaving them as well – they undergo their own character development and are far more sympathetic towards her mental state by the end of the novel.

This book isn’t perfect – there are a few instances in the first half of the novel where Neena fat-shames her mother – so this is more of a 4.5 star novel, but I feel as though the good thoroughly outweighs the bad in this instance.

The Million Pieces of Neena Gill is Emma Smith-Barton’s debut novel, and I am very excited to see what she writes next.

Decent read, but felt a bit mediocre in writing style. I didn't feel like I understood all the choices the main character made, but also certain facts were hammered down our throats and I wasn't a fan of this.

I am in charge of our Senior School library and am looking for a diverse array of new books to furnish their shelves with and inspire our young people to read a wider and more diverse range of books as they move through the senior school. It is hard sometimes to find books that will grab the attention of young people as their time is short and we are competing against technology and online entertainments.
This was a thought-provoking and well-written read that will appeal to our readers across the board. It had a really strong voice and a compelling narrative that I think would capture their attention and draw them in. It kept me engrossed and I think that it's so important that the books that we purchase for both our young people and our staff are appealing to as broad a range of readers as possible - as well as providing them with something a little 'different' that they might not have come across in school libraries before.
This was a really enjoyable read and I will definitely be purchasing a copy for school so that our young people can enjoy it for themselves. A satisfying and well-crafted read that I keep thinking about long after closing its final page - and that definitely makes it a must-buy for me!

A story of love, loss and mental health. A profound insight into psychosis. 

Neena is really struggling with the disappearance of her brother Akash, her families demands in her both personally and culturally that things start to spin out of control, deprecate to know what happened to her brother in the night of his disappearance and with her mental health quickly spiralling Nenna finds herself trusting no one

*** ARC provided by Netgalley via the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ***

Honestly, this is one of the best books I have read this year! 

This book deals with loss, grieving and mental health in such an amazing way. It's hard not to see yourself in Neena and root for her to hold together her million pieces whilst falling apart. 

Neena is a conscientious student, a loving daughter and sister with a bright future ahead of her. We join her following the disappearance of her brother 10 months ago. She's desperate to find out what happened to him and starts acting out in ways that mirror her brothers behaviour and in a way seems to make her feel more connected with him. I don't want to go into too much details but whatever you look for in a book I think there is a version of it here...mystery/romance/engaging characters etc.

I'll be recommending this to anyone who'll listen!

Interesting perspective of the slow breakdown of a teenager, spiralling through depression, anxiety, bereavement and mental health problems.  You could feel the heartache even though at times you wanted to grab the narrator and say, "No! don't do that!".  The own voices discussions around stigma were particularly poignant within this story. The messy style of this book suited the way we can imagine Neena's mental state was at that time, and I did like the fact the book also included some rebuilding.

A great new novel to add to the ranks of excellent depictions of mental health in YA. This story explores grief and how much it can affect your mind. It shows Neena's spiral into complete breakdown in a slow gradual way, building up symptoms and issues, going unnoticed by those around her until it's too late. 

I love how deeply it delves into how the mind can trick you. How it can tell you things that you know can't be true, but still you believe them. The way Neena got so utterly convinced that her brother was helping her finish her paintings, the way that they were better when she woke up to them finished.

It was good to see a mental health book that really highlights the taboos surrounding mental health and discussion of it. The way Neena's mother doesn't leave the house but won't talk about it, pretending that everything is normal. The way she treats Neena's medication, hiding them away and treating them like a dirty little secret that she shouldn't tell people around. 

I also loved the cultural aspects. The descriptions of food made my mouth water!

Wasn't able to give a review as the book was removed e-reader before I read it.


Neena's always been a good girl - great grades, parent-approved friends and absolutely no boyfriends. 

But ever since her brother Akash left her, she's been slowly falling apart - and uncovering a new version of herself who is freer, but altogether more dangerous. 

As her wild behaviour spirals more and more out of control, Neena's grip on her sanity begins to weaken too. 

And when her parents announce not one but two life-changing bombshells, she finally reaches breaking point. 

But as Neena is about to discover, when your life falls apart, only love can piece you back together.

Another great book through Netgalley - thank you. In this day and age when we are hearing more and more about mental health issues in the press, this story is put together so well and a great read even though it is often sad and very poignant to everyday life in, I am sure, a lot of households.  Neena is a young Pakistani girl being brought up in a strict household with a slightly, it appears, wayward brother who goes missing and all the parents anxiety and strictness is put on her in a way that causes her such anxiety and stress that she suffers greatly within her world.  Eventually she breaks and the author of this story has dealt with the fallout in such a sensitive way that a lot of parents with “broken” children could learn many lessons.  I did feel early on in the book that perhaps the author had more than a passing knowledge of this world which proves to be the case.  I would like to think that the help Neena gets from the services out there for young adults who have such trauma is available to all but I know from a friend’s experience this is not the case and I wonder if books like this should be read by the teams out there.  Contentious subject I am sure.  This book is written so sensitively and I hope it does well

Trigger Warnings: Death, drug abuse, binge drinking, psychotic episodes.

As someone who suffers from mental problems myself I am always on the look out for books, especially in YA, that tackle this topic head on. So, when I heard about The Million Pieces of Neena Gill I was eager to know more.

Firstly WOW! This book blew me away, so much that I finished it in a few hours as I was that engrossed in it. It was beautifully written and it was so captivating that you can't help but read on and on. I was honestly in awe of the writing style and how it really took you into each moment throughout the story. I was very surprised that this was a debut, as I wouldn't have guessed that by the elegance of the story and it's style.

We follow Neena as she starts to discover a hidden side of herself which involves partying, drinking and finding her first love. At first you think that she's just rebelling against her parents but you soon do find out that she's basically finding it hard to deal with the loss of her older brother, Akash. Neena's downward spiral with her psychosis felt so raw and gritty, and for me I found little clues that all pointed to Neena's upcoming breaking point throughout the story, which for me made it all the more realistic.

Psychosis is an area of mental health that really isn't touched on enough within YA and this was one of the main reasons why I loved The Million Pieces of Neena Gill so much. I, knew somewhat about the symptoms and what happens to someone suffering with Psychosis but after reading this I feel that my knowledge on this area of mental health has expanded. Neena, I feel, will help a lot of teens who are suffering with this mental health concern and the more they are given support the better. Anxiety is also touched upon within the story, and as someone who suffers from anxiety myself I could really relate to Neena's battle with it. It really did resonate with me that's for sure.

The Million Pieces of Neena Gill was a gorgeously written book about an area of mental health that isn't mentioned nearly enough and one that, I think should be read by any teen who is going through a mental health concern to show that they aren't alone and that there is support out there.

I struggled a little too much with this novel. While I’m happen I was able to read a book with some excellent representation in it, I just found its themes a little too dark for me to handle.

Really strong central character who you really invest in & whose mental breakdown is visceral & relatable. Great story that avoids clichés & easy answers

Neena is from a strict Pakistani family. Her brother disappears. Neena is deeply affected. The story is her descent in to mental illness. Well written. Not always easy reading.

A good refreshing read, which tackles mental health in a different light. Lovely to see mental health being a part of a book, especially a YA one.

As someone who has suffered mental illness throughout my 38 years on this earth, I have found The Million Pieces of Neena Gill inspiring. Had I read this book 25 years ago, I think it would of helped me so much.
I saw alot of me in Neena and I can't help but love the amazing character that she is. 
I think this book should be read by every teenager to highlight that things can be an uphill battle, the struggle is real but you are not alone. Mental illnesses are alot more common then most people realise and there is help out this. 
Thank you Emma for such a wonderful book.